Presents
by Yusagi
Summary: Post-Doomsday. Presents and frivolities mean nothing when you're lost in your memories. But sometimes its not the gift, but the giver that really matters. Fluffy!Christmas!


Disclaimer: This'd be the Christmas Special if it were me who owned DW. Obviously.

AN: So much Doomsday angst everywhere! I figured I could contribute a bit of not-so-much angst for christmas. Alongside my own helping of angst, of course. Note: This was written BEFORE we ever met Martha.

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_Presents_

Rose frowned softly as she smoothed her mauve Christmas dress and sat down in a plush recliner. Six months already. Jackie was nearly ready to to birth, but still refused to know the gender of the baby. Mickey was engaged to a lovely lady who worked at Torchwood, and Jake...Jake she rarely saw anymore. Ever since he'd taken the position as president of Torchwood (Pete was too busy to take up such a position, even though he had been key in overthrowing the old Torchwood).

And her? She still worked in Torchwood. It was the closest she could get to her Doctor. It gave her almost the same sensation of wonder occassionally. It distracted her sometimes from the silence, the safety, the emptiness of the life she now led.

She would have preferred to be working today, in fact, but almost all of the employees had been booted out for christmas. Which was probably Jake's idea. Which probably came from Jackie.

She sighed softly, and smiled in graditude as a waiter arrived with a cup of egg-nog for her. The smile faded as she watched him walk away and engage another servant in conversation. The interaction reminded her feircely of the time when she had snuck into this very house with her Doctor, infiltrating Jackie's birthday party.

He had said the best way to learn anything was to ask the servants. She had wanted to be a debutant. In hindsight his choice was clearly the better.

"Rose, sweetheart! It's time for the _presents_!" Jackie said excitedly, scurrying over to her, and grabbing her arm gently but firmly. "Come on, Rose. It isn't fair to the others to mope on Christmas!"

She sighed softly, and nodded, following her mother's urgings to a seat with a table near a tree stuffed full with presents. Mickey grabbed a present and gave it to her, friendship, compassion, and a brotherly love shining in his eyes as he handed it over.

"Happy Christmas, Rose."

She smiled in spite of herself at her closest friend, before nodding, and digging out a present from the tree for him.

This process continued on and on throughout the afternoon, until the tree was emptied, and looked almost as lonely as she now felt-surrounded as she was in all the expensive gifts that had once surrounded it.

"It's not as good as you might think." She said softly, smiling.

A hand touched her shoulder, and a soft female voice spoke. "Begging your forgivness, Miss Tyler...but you forgot a present."

She turned in surprise to see a young servant she'd never seen before. Dark skin, soft smile, wise eyes. She was holding a tiny box with a hand-scribbled note on it.

"Who's it from?"

"It doesn't say."

She frowned softly, taking the box from the woman, and glanced up at her again. "I don't believe I've seen you before."

She shook her head. "I was hired for the party."

She smiled softly. Something about this servant...she liked her. She was familiar, like the smell of an old cigarette might be. And there was something in her eyes that reminded Rose of herself...long ago. "You know my name...so what's yours?"

She looked mildly surprised. "Ah...Jones...Martha Jones."

"Nice name. I like it."

Martha the Servant smiled. "Thank you, Miss Tyler."

Rose shook her head. "Call me Rose."

The woman nodded, and Rose turned her attention to the small box. A print she could barely read was scrawled in a fancy red and green ink. (If she didn't know better she would have thought the ink changed colors, and not the lights reflecting off of its shine)

_'Sorry I'm late. Did you know that all the way in the year 2008, Supermarkets close on Christmas? I hope this is okay-its all I could find in the time I had.'_

She frowned in confusion. Was it Jake? No...he had gotten her those earrings...then...

Her heart clenched. It couldn't have been someone like...like...Jack?

Her hands trembled slightly as she ripped through the plain red wrapping, and stared down at the unmarked black box. It looked like perhaps a necklace? Curious, she popped open the box.

The box crashed to the floor as her eyes fell on the necklace's ornament.

"Oi! I give you the whole of Time and Space, and you throw it to the ground?" Her mind didn't bother to register his wholly amused tone, nor to wonder how he had gotten to standing right in front of her, dressed up in livery, or even continue to consider the key that now lay on the floor.

All that mattered was propelling herself from the chair into his waiting arms, and clinging to him as tightly as humanly possible. All that mattered was his arms holding her warmly and tightly, that his soft familiar voice was cooing soothingly in her ear to ease away her sobs.

"Sorry, Rose..." He said softly, when she had finally calmed a bit. "I guess I lied back there in Norway."

She pulled back just far enough to give herself leverage to slap his chest. "You jerk."

He looked hurt. She didn't have a choice but to hug him again, really.

"Rose..." He said softly, almost warningly.

She looked up at him worriedly.

"There's something I should tell you..."

Terror twisted her gut. "You're...you're really here, right? You're not going to pop out again and leave me alone, are you?"

"I am, and I won't." He said gently.

The presence of the woman-Martha-over his shoulder registered dimly, and she looked accusingly at him. "You said you were doing it alone."

He blinked. "Ah...well...she sort of barged in and refused to leave."

For her part, Martha seemed almost abashed.

She swallowed. "So...you're travellin' with her now?"

"For now, yeah."

She nodded softly, and found herself unable to meet his gaze.

"I was hoping..." He said quickly. "You'd wanna come, too?"

She nodded quickly, looking up at him. "I'd love to."

"Good then. I only have one thing to tell you then."

"Are we going back?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Er...no...not possible, sorry."

"Oh...then..."

He sighed then, sounding almost exasperated. She didn't get a chance to process why, before her mind screeched to a halt, and she felt his cool lips on hers.

"What I've been trying to tell you, Rose..." He said, dark eyes molten with intensity and a love quite unlike Mickey's. "If you'd stop interrupting me..."

She fought down a nervous laugh, and he grinned at her.

"Happy Christmas, Rose."

She blinked in surprise a moment, then grinned. "Shoulda known you'd make a big production out of it."

His grin widened. "That's me!"

"Happy Christmas, Doctor."

He moved away from her just a bit, but grabbed hold of her hand tightly, as he turned toward the expectant and mostly surprised faces of her friends and family.

"Oh, Rose?" He said nonchalantly, glancing back at her a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Just thought you should know one more thing before we go."

"What?"

"I love you."


End file.
